Diagnostic Approaches

For this assignment, consider the following case vignette:

Susie is a 13-year-old Asian American girl; the youngest child in a  family of four older siblings. Her parents are both high school teachers  and came to United States from India to attend college and stayed to  raise a family together. They travel as a family to India several weeks  of every year to be with extended family. Susie understands some phrases  in the dialect spoken by her extended family, but she and her sisters  consistently speak to their parents in English. When Susie was 5 years  old, she was hospitalized for three weeks for a serious illness. Since  that time, she has been in good health, but has struggled with her fears  and anxiety.
Susie is extremely shy and avoids situations in which she needs to  interact with new people or large groups. She worries about making  mistakes in her schoolwork and becomes extremely anxious when taking  tests. Sometimes, she becomes so nervous that her heart races; she  begins to tremble and has difficulty breathing. Susie is also afraid of  the dark and does not want to be alone in her room at night. She often  requires the presence of one of her parents or older sisters until she  falls asleep. As her oldest three sisters have left home to pursue their  education and careers, the family is finding Susie’s need for  reassurance more burdensome.
 

Instructions

Part I: Examining Three Models of Psychopathology

• Review each of the three models of abnormality—biological,  psychological, and sociocultural—and apply key principles from each  model to frame what is happening to Susie and her family. 
• Analyze how each model explains the factors leading to Susie’s presenting behaviors.

Part II: Assessment Instruments to Aid in Diagnosis

Formulate a culturally sensitive assessment strategy using a  combination of at least two measures listed below (and linked  in Resources) to assist with the assessment of Susie and her  family. Describe how the assessments will be administered and  interpreted using scholarly sources to support the strategy. 

• DSM-5: Assessment Measures:     
  • Parent/Guardian-Rated DSM-5 Level 1​ Cross Cutting Symptom Measure.
• ​DSM-5: Cultural Formulation:     
  • ​Cultural Formulation Interview.
• Hamilton and Carr’s “Systematic Review of Self‐Report Family Assessment Measures.”      
  • MFCT learners must use at least one self-report assessment measure reviewed by Hamilton and Carr in the article. 

Part III: Systemic Perspective for Diagnosis

With an assessment strategy established: 

• Analyze how the DSM and ICD offer specific guidance to working with families. 
• Describe the specific V and Z codes that apply, noting the limitations and risks of using these codes for Susie and her family.